Rachel Riley potty-trained first child from three months in bid to go green
COUNTDOWN’S maths whiz Rachel Riley potty-trained her first child from just three months old.
Rachel, 35, ditched disposable nappies early for Maven, now 17 months, in a bid to go green.
And speaking exclusively to The Sun about her new green plans to leave a better world for her babies, she revealed Countdown is now using reusable whiteboards for solving maths conundrums, eco-friendly pens, and plastic bottles and cutlery are banned on set.
She said: “We started potty training Mave when she was really teeny tiny.
“We saved loads of money, and loads of plastic too.
“And we use cloth nappies — when you’ve got a baby, you’re doing more washing anyway.”
But she told how Mave loved nappies so much when the family went away on holiday that she's doing her best to cling onto them.
Rachel added: "She went 'this is good' and has stopped telling us when she needs to pee!
"On the next one we'll try again..."
Rachel is expecting her second child with Strictly pro dancer Pasha Kovalev, 41, in October and plans to do the same again.
Their upcoming arrival may be their last for fears of being over-run with kiddies, but she joked: "If this one's a dud, we might need another!"
She said on whether the pair will stop at two babies: "Not in a Harry and Meghan way, but once you've got one each you can man-mark them... any more than that is a bit of juggling."
The telly star reckons that as Brits get more eco-friendly in the coming years, solar panels will take over, people will be selling their energy back to the grid, and more people than ever will be growing their own fruit and veg.
She added: "We've seen our lives turned upside down with Coronavirus and we've seen that if we have a crisis, and we need to, we can change the way we live our lives."
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She is also on a green crusade at Channel 4 show Countdown where they are trying to rid the set of as much single-use plastic as possible.
She said: “It’s small things, but every aspect of the show and how we make it is being looked at.”
Rachel is also an ambassador for the smart meter rollout, and is urging Brits to get one installed to help save cash on energy bills.
Rachel has teamed up with Smart Energy GB to demonstrate how a smart energy system, enabled by smart meters, will lay the groundwork for many exciting future innovations.